Men's Tennis Courtesy of Sewanee Athletic Communications

Khan Elevated to Men’s Tennis Head Coach

SEWANEE, Tenn. – Director of Athletics John Shackelford has announced the promotion of Hamza Khan to head coach of the Sewanee men's tennis team, effective immediately.

Khan becomes the 12th head coach in program history after spending the past three seasons as an assistant for both the men's and women's teams. Since joining the staff in January 2023, he has played a key role in the continued success of both programs. During his tenure, the Tigers have captured six Southern Athletic Association (SAA) championships and earned six NCAA Tournament appearances.

"Hamza had a successful career with the Tigers as part of six SAA Championship teams and helped lead our team to Top 20 national rankings both as a player and as our assistant coach," said Shackelford. "He is respected by our student-athletes and by coaches across the country. Hamza is a proven recruiter, and we believe the future for the Tigers is extremely bright."

As an assistant coach, Khan helped the men's team to a combined 60-15 record, including a perfect 19-0 mark in conference play. On the women's side, the Tigers posted a 53-20 mark and were also undefeated in SAA play at 19-0. In 2025, he was part of the SAA Coaching Staff of the Year for both programs.

"I am extremely honored and excited to be named the head coach of my alma mater," said Khan. "I want to thank John Shackelford for trusting me with this opportunity and for the guidance and support I've received from him, Felix Mann, and Conchie Shackelford over the years. It is a privilege to lead a program with such a rich tradition of success both on-and-off the court. I'm eager to get to work and committed to ensuring that Sewanee Tennis remains one of the premier programs in the country."

Under Khan's leadership, the men's team reached the NCAA Round of 16 in each of the past three seasons, while the women's team advanced to the Round of 16 twice and the second round once during that span.

He has coached three national champions. Jordan Theron won the NCAA singles title while Theron and Quinn Wicklund as well as Brooke Despriet and Katherine Petty each won doubles championships. In 2024, Theron and Wicklund were also national runners-up in doubles. During Khan's tenure, the men's teams have consistently finished among the nation's best, including a Top 10 finish in 2023 and a Top 15 ranking in 2024.

Multiple players earned All-America honors under Khan's guidance, including Theron (six-time singles and doubles), Wicklund (three-time doubles), Despriet (three-time doubles), Petty (two-time doubles) and Ansley Carpenter (doubles).

His impact extends well beyond on-court achievements. Over the past three seasons, Khan has coached five SAA Tennis Athletes of the Year, three Sewanee Seniors of the Year, 33 All-Conference selections, one CSC Academic All-American, and 18 CSC Academic All-District honorees.

A 2020 graduate of the University of the South, Khan earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. As a student-athlete, he was a three-time SAA regular season and tournament champion, a senior captain, and won 39 career matches for the Tigers.